MBA and Women's Careers

Today, the "Working Women's Relearning Symposium "Career Development for Shining Women" was held, and many people attended. It is said that women are more susceptible to life events than men, and therefore have less opportunity to relearn (although men also have various problems). Against this backdrop, the number of women pursuing an MBA is on the rise, with some working mom MBA students attending school while balancing work and childcare, or taking advantage of childcare leave periods.

In Japan, the ratio of women in managerial positions is reported to be 11%, but in Europe and the United States, it is not uncommon for the ratio to exceed 30%. In Germany, where the automobile industry is the core industry, the ratio is over 30%, so it seems that the excuse that Japan is special because of its focus on manufacturing cannot be accepted. In Japan, the Law for the Promotion of Women's Activities has expanded opportunities for women to be promoted within companies, and the infrastructure to support working women, such as childcare support, is being developed. I'm sure there are men out there who have witnessed their female peers getting promoted at a rapid pace.

It is not widely known, but if you leave your job due to unavoidable reasons such as pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, etc., you can use the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's education and training benefits to obtain an MBA within four years of leaving your job (in reality, a little longer would be great). In fact, there are people who aim to obtain an MBA while pregnant or raising children, or who enroll in the program with a view to their career after childcare leave. There are also many people who are busy with housework and childcare and have limited time for work, so they start MBA programs so that they can do high-quality work even in a short time. In the world, about 40% of business school students are women, so let's do our best in Japan!